


Father and son and a story book

by icecreamsuki



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Family, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-20
Updated: 2014-02-20
Packaged: 2018-01-13 04:28:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1212667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icecreamsuki/pseuds/icecreamsuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sho was lounging in a coffee shop when he found a father and son pair and got interested in them</p>
            </blockquote>





	Father and son and a story book

-=-

A grand bookstore with a coffee shop is something not usually found in the countryside. Tired of his daily routine of work-home-work-home, and exhausted from all the socializing that his job entailed, he went to the city to get a different perspective - a fresher one.

The coffee shop was situated at the second floor and he chose the empty seat near the glass windows, overlooking nearby establishments. From his vantage point he could see people young and old, local and foreign, with plastic bags and paper bags on their tow. People in the city were clearly embracing the holiday rush.

People watching had always been his hobby when he goes out alone, and this would inevitably lead to a blank expression on his face as he was immersed in his musings, stirring his coffee more than what was necessary.

He was suddenly awakened from his thoughts by a ruckus at the other side of the café. A young kid about five or six years old was running around, flailing his arms, touching just about anything that was within his reach, with a young man in his late twenties following him around.

Watching people inside the café was suddenly more interesting that looking out through the window. He had always had a soft spot for kids – a longing for them. Being an only child from a small family living in the outskirts of the countryside, he had spent his childhood playing by himself, sometimes with the dog or the chickens to keep him company. His schoolmates were not living near and he had only had interaction with them at school. Despite being alone, he enjoyed his childhood to the fullest. It was the time he developed his natural curiosity – his tendency to be quiet and observe. When he ponders on this quality of his, he figured he could be a detective someday, but that is another story.

The kid was still running around with what his little feet would allow when his constant tail – possibly his father – picked him up and carried him to another seat near the window in the farthest corner of the café, two seats away from our main protagonist. The child started wailing, eager to explore more, to see more, to hold more, and not be put into shackles such as an empty chair. That’s what it was to a child his age – a restriction. Just when the child was about to wail once again to spite his father, the man put a finger on his lips and had a mischievous smile on his face. The kid merely looked at him in confusion as the man unwrapped the book on the table between them. It was a story book with huge pictures and the man shifted to the other chair to sit beside his son. That way they could read the story together.

The father opened the book to the first page and started, “Once upon a time, there was a little boy –“

“A little boy?” The kid asked eagerly, tapping the arm of the father to get his attention.

“Yes, a little boy.”

“How old is he?”

“Hmmm,” the man said rubbing his chin in a gesture of deep thought, looking at his kid from head to toe, “Probably the same age as you.”

The little kid’s eyes lit up. “Really? His name is Ryo then,” the child stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“You’re right! His name is Ryo. How did you figure that out?”

“Because I’m a genius, of course!” The kid said pointing two thumbs to himself and looking damn proud. The man – the storybook reader – indulgently ruffled the little kid’s hair.

“Of course. Alright then, let’s move on with the story. Once upon a time, there was a little boy –”

“- Named Ryo!” The little kid chimed in.

“There was a little boy named Ryo who lived in a faraway kingdom –”

“A faraway kingdom? Why? Can’t he live here?” The kid asked, his faced painted with worry.

“Do you want him to live here?”

“Yes! So he can be with his family all the time!”

“Alright then, there was a little boy named Ryo who lived, uhm well, who lived, here,” the man finished with a rather awkward laugh, amused at how the story was totally steering away from what was written in the story book. He stared at his son in a mixture of wonder and delight.

The little kid glanced up and found his father spacing out so he pulled him back to reality once again, tapping his arm repeatedly, “And then? And then?”

-

“Sho-kun!” Sho realized that he had been watching the father and son pair ever since they started reading that storybook – or rather making up a story of their own to be exact. He was too engrossed in admiring the picturesque scene and listening to the kid’s innocence and the father’s patience, his coffee had already gone cold.

“Suddenly wanting a child of your own?” Aiba offered teasingly. He was bringing a fresh cup of hot coffee, slid it across the table and exchanged it for Sho’s neglected tepid cup.

“I like my coffee not hot,” Aiba said matter-of-factly, but Sho knew better, grateful for Aiba's thoughtfulness. As Sho drank, he could Aiba’s warmth along with the liquid in his throat and the caffeine in his veins.

“We can always adopt, you know?” Sho said, pretending to look out the window in an act of nonchalance, but he was clearly observing Aiba’s face through the reflection on the glass.

Aiba brightened up and then suddenly remembered Sho’s object of interest just minutes prior. “Or, or, we can always, you know,” Aiba shrugged, still observing the father and son pair at the corner of the little cozy coffee shop in a book store in the middle of the city. “Kidnap,” he finished with a silly grin.

Sho gave a hearty chuckle at his partner’s bizarre ideas. At that moment, he could clearly imagine Aiba and their future kid coming up with crazy stories of their own.

And Sho was excitedly looking forward to it. And Sho was certain he would enjoy every minute of it.

-=-


End file.
